Tips For Helping Your Teen Adjust To Life With Braces
Have you finally decided to get braces for your teenager? If so, the adjustment for them might be a lot harder than you think. Here are some tips to help them adjust to wearing their new braces.
Help Them Feel Less Self-Conscious
The thing that may bother your teen the most is being self-conscious about their appearance once they have braces. The best thing that you can do is remind your teen that it is very common for kids to have braces, and chances are high that others will not even notice unless you point them out. You can even remind them that once their teeth are fixed after being treated with braces, that they will have nothing at all to feel self-conscious about when around other people.
Get A Mouthguard If They Play Sports
If your teen is active in various sports at school, it will be worth having a mouthguard made to help protect their braces and their mouth while playing. The mouthguard will act as a barrier that protects the soft tissue in their mouth from their metal braces since facial trauma can happen at any time. It may be from colliding with another player or getting hit in the face by a ball. Either way, the mouth guard acts as a layer of protection that will protect the braces and prevent cuts from happening.
Make Meals That Are Braces-Friendly
Your teen is going to change some of their diet while they are wearing braces since not all foods work well when chewing them with metal brackets. It will help to cook meals at home and pack lunches with foods that are easier to eat with braces. This includes meals that contain soft foods that are easy to chew and that will not irritate their braces. As they get used to wearing braces, they may be able to easily handle harder foods.
Purchase The Right Tools For Cleaning
A basic toothbrush is not going to be enough for your teen to clean around their braces. They are going to need special floss threaders to get the floss around the wires. They can even benefit from having a water flossing tool that will shoot water between their teeth. These items can make it easier for your teen to clean their teeth with braces, which will result in fewer cavities as a result.
Reach out to your teen's orthodontist for more information on how you can help them adjust or for more information on braces.
Share